Broadly neutralizing influenza hemagglutinin stem-specific antibody CR8020 targets residues that are prone to escape due to host selection pressure

Kannan Tharakaraman; Vidya Subramanian; David Cain; Viswanathan Sasisekharan; Ram Sasisekharan

doi:10.1016/j.chom.2014.04.009

Broadly neutralizing influenza hemagglutinin stem-specific antibody CR8020 targets residues that are prone to escape due to host selection pressure

Cell Host Microbe. 2014 May 14;15(5):644-51. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2014.04.009.

Authors

Kannan Tharakaraman¹, Vidya Subramanian¹, David Cain¹, Viswanathan Sasisekharan¹, Ram Sasisekharan²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Engineering, Skolkovo-MIT Center for Biomedical Engineering, Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, Infectious Diseases Interdisciplinary Research Group, and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
² Department of Biological Engineering, Skolkovo-MIT Center for Biomedical Engineering, Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, Infectious Diseases Interdisciplinary Research Group, and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: rams@mit.edu.

Abstract

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAb) that target a conserved region of a viral antigen hold significant therapeutic promise. CR8020 is a bNAb that targets the stem region of influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutinin (HA). CR8020 is currently being evaluated for prophylactic use against group 2 IAVs in phase II studies. Structural and computational analyses reported here indicate that CR8020 targets HA residues that are prone to antigenic drift and host selection pressure. Critically, CR8020 escape mutation is seen in certain H7N9 viruses from recent outbreaks. Furthermore, the ability of the bNAb Fc region to effectively engage activating Fcγ receptors (FCγR) is essential for antibody efficacy. In this regard, our data indicate that the membrane could sterically hinder the formation of HA-CR8020-FcγRIIa/HA-IgG-FcγRIIIa ternary complexes. Altogether, our analyses suggest that epitope mutability and accessibility to immune complex assembly are important attributes to consider when evaluating bNAb candidates for clinical development.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Amino Acid Motifs
Antibodies, Monoclonal / chemistry
Antibodies, Monoclonal / genetics
Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
Antibodies, Neutralizing / chemistry
Antibodies, Neutralizing / genetics
Antibodies, Neutralizing / immunology*
Antibodies, Viral / chemistry
Antibodies, Viral / genetics
Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
Epitope Mapping
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / chemistry*
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / genetics
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / immunology*
Host-Pathogen Interactions*
Humans
Immune Evasion*
Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / chemistry
Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / genetics
Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / immunology*
Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype / chemistry
Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype / genetics
Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype / immunology*
Influenza, Human / immunology*
Influenza, Human / virology
Models, Molecular
Neutralization Tests

Substances

Antibodies, Monoclonal
Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding